An 8-year-old Revere speller almost stole the show at a spelling bee

LYNN -- With grace under impression and a firm grip on her audience, a Revere third-grader added buzz to the 33rd Annual Daily Item Regional Spelling Bee.

Sara Granados, 8, a Hill Elementary School student in Revere, fired off letters and correct spellings round after round with what seemingly little or no effort. The City Hall Veterans Memorial Auditorium crowd cheered her on and the applause helped Granados stand out from the competition.

The Bee, which took place last Friday night at Lynn City Hall, included 54 contestants from around North Shore Schools. Students ranging from grade three to eight competed for a chance to go to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

One of only two third-grade spellers, Granados tilted the microphone placed a few inches above her head down with confidence before spelling words like "waterzooi" (a Belgium stew containing fish or chicken along with vegetables) without a second thought or asking for the word's root or meaning.

"She was really compelling," Steve Krause, sports editor of the Daily Item, who served as a judge for the competition said. "She captured everyone's heart and was very animated on stage."

Age is no barrier for Granados who has a firm grasp of her future and her likes and dislikes.

"In the future I would like to maybe become a teacher," Sara wrote in her spelling bee description. "I enjoy spending time with my family. I dislike when people aren't nice to others and am quite talented at playing the piano."

Her positive attitude towards others shown brightly during the Bee: She clapped for every contestant in between turns and drew quite the applause from the crowd for herself. Many of those in the crowd seemed to be impressed by the energetic girl assigned contestant number 14.

By the end of the night, Will Robson, of eighth-grade at St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, spelled his way to become the regional champion bound for the finals in Washington D.C.

Granados placed fourth. Eliminated from the action, she still held the hearts of audience admirers who gave her a standing ovation.